Black members

The union campaigns for race equality and for fair treatment and representation of Black people in the media.

The NUJ has a proud track record of challenging racism in the media industry.

Black members council

The BMC monitors discrimination in employment practices in the media industry and works with NUJ members in chapels and branches to promote anti-racism.

The council maintains a critical relationship with Black and minority ethnic media and can act as a liaison between the NUJ and local communities.

The BMC also shapes NUJ attitudes, strategies and action by submitting motions to be debated at NUJ delegate meeting, which decides the policy for the union as a whole.

The NUJ uses the term Black in a political sense to refer to people from a visible minority who have a shared experience of racism and oppression. The union also uses the term BME (Black and minority ethnic), but it is NUJ policy to support the use of the term Black to indicate support for structures that encourage and facilitate Black self-organisation.

The black members AGM 2015 invited Samantha Asumadu of Media Diversified and NUJ organiser Dominic Bascombe (formerly Father of the Chapel at the Voice) to talk about the lack of media diversity. Listen online to the event: Why is diversity in the media so hard to achieve?

The BMC also support the work of the union's charity the George Viner Memorial Fund which offers financial assistance to Black and minority ethnic students undertaking recognised journalism courses.